Freedom
That day played out in Tom's mind as he held the piece of parchment in his shaking hand. The letter from his dead mom, the tree. Stacy and Tom hadn't a clue what was to come when he would turn ten, and now, the answers were under the red, wax seal that read Hogwarts.
Tom broke open the seal quickly and unfolded the papers. He saw something like a school supplies list and then a letter. He glanced at it, skimming it at first, and then read it fully three times.
1
2 HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Armando Dippet
(Order of Merlin, Second Class, International
Confed. Of Wizards, Grand Sorc.)
Dear Mr. Riddle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
2.1 Armando Dippet
2.1.1 Armando Dippet
(Headmaster)
A wizard? That was almost more than he could take in one day. He looked down at the letter again, making sure the name was right. T. Riddle, that was him, plain, orphan boy. But it couldn't be a mistake, the tree that fell, that had to be magic, and his mother's hinting. It was his tenth birthday, July 31, and it finally had happened. But, they expected his owl today, whatever that meant. All chance was gone that he would get to go to "Hogwarts," whatever that was.
Why did they send his letter so late, he thought miserably to himself. Michael still wanted to kill him; practically everybody hated him because he was a "genius." It wasn't his fault that he was so smart.
The one chance he had to get away was gone. Tom stared out the window. Normal children were probably playing outside, without fear that someone would kill them in the morning, without having people trip them in the hallways, through things at them in the classroom, without knowing that they would never get anywhere outside an orphanage for eight long years. And the one chance he had to get out was gone.
Maybe Ms. Prince could help him send an "owl" and get to "Hogwarts."
***
Tom knocked on her door during the lunch hour. She opened it, smiled down at him and then beckoned him inside. He sat down in the chair across from her desk.
"Mr. Riddle, what can I do for you?" she asked him kindly. Tom smiled up at her, she would help him, and he knew it.
"Er… I got this letter…it was tied onto a bird," Tom said, handing her the parchment. The smile suddenly vanished from her face.
"That's impossible," she said, shocked and annoyed, "How…I thought I destroyed these!"
Tom looked up at her, amazed at what he had just heard. "But, why?"
"Why? Tom, it is for your own good!" Ms. Prince snapped as she tossed the letter into the lit fireplace.
"My letter," Tom exclaimed, jumping from his seat, toward the fire. Ms. Prince grabbed him and half dropped, half threw him back into the chair where he sat. He looked sadly at the burning letter and the melting seal when Ms. Prince slapped him hard across the face.
"Mr. Riddle, this is MY orphanage, whatever I say goes, understand?" she shouted at him. Tom nodded his head a little, nearly in tears.
"That's what would happen to you, you know. That's what happens to freaks, witches and wizards! They BURN!" she exclaimed, pointing at the fire where the letter was quickly turning to ash. "DO YOU WANT THAT?"
"No, Ms. Prince," he said faintly, his voice shaking. How could she be so mean, he thought. That once nice, kind, caring lady was now an evil, cruel women.
"Who would adopt a freak, Tom? People like good little boys, not Satan worshiping wizards!" She said, a little calmer than she was a second ago, but still unhappy.
"May I go now?" Tom asked faintly.
"Get out of my sight," she said, turning away from him. Tom slowly got up and walked toward the door. He opened it and turned back to look at her. She still was facing the opposite wall. Tom didn't want to stay long, so, without another look back, he left her room.
He knew he had to get out of the orphanage. No one had ever managed to run away. It was like a black hole; sucking little children in, and never letting anything escape it's strong grasp. Well, Tom Riddle would get out, he had to.
"Hey, Tom!" someone yelled. Stacy came running up to him. "Happy Birthday! Where were you at lunch?" What should he say, that Ms. Prince was scolding him because he was a wizard? That would hurt her too much.
"Nothing," he said. That was the common lie, and he shouldn't have used it because Stacy would know that it wasn't "nothing."
"Tom, don't give me 'nothing!'" Stacy said as they walked down the hall.
"Hey, Tom! Heard you and Ms. Prince!" Michael's voice came from behind them. "What did she say again? Something about a freak? Clearly she was talkin' about you, Tom."
"A freak?" Stacy asked, looking down at Tom. "Why would she say that?"
"Er…" Tom began, but then Michael then cut in.
"Cause he's a wizard," Michael said casually. He smiled broadly. So he knew that little secret. At least Tom didn't really care that the public knew. Maybe they would leave him alone, thinking that he might turn them all into frogs or something.
Stacy looked down at Tom again. "So… that's what your mum…" she began, but then stopped quickly. Never say anything that you didn't want heard in front of Michael, or by the time the day was over, everyone would know. "Come on, Tom, let's go somewhere else." She grabbed his hand and quickly walked toward the door to the outside grounds. After lunch they were allowed to go there.
They went to Tom's "not-so-secret-anymore-place," otherwise known as the gully.
"So, you are a wizard?" Stacy asked him.
"I guess," he said, shrugging, "But, Ms. Prince, she burned my letter."
"Oh," she said, putting an arm around him. He looked around the area. No one was there. This was his chance to escape from the orphanage.
"Stacy, can I…er…be alone for awhile?" he asked he quietly.
"Sure. See you later," she said as she stood up. Stacy bent down and kissed him on the forehead.
"Bye," he whispered as she walked away. As soon as she was gone, Tom stood and walked in the other direction. He hadn't a clue where he was going or what he would do when he got there, but he knew that he had to take his chance.
***
The orphanage slowly shrank behind him until it was nothing but a forgotten place lost in the shadows of the night. Tom slowly ventured forward into the unknown city of London. Freedom felt good, but was horrifying. He saw people on the streets, living in boxes and barely surviving the cold of London. Tired, he sank down against the wall by one of the many homeless people. This was better than the orphanage, he thought.
Suddenly, someone tapped him roughly on the shoulder. He jumped in alarm at the man he saw sitting next to him.
That day played out in Tom's mind as he held the piece of parchment in his shaking hand. The letter from his dead mom, the tree. Stacy and Tom hadn't a clue what was to come when he would turn ten, and now, the answers were under the red, wax seal that read Hogwarts.
Tom broke open the seal quickly and unfolded the papers. He saw something like a school supplies list and then a letter. He glanced at it, skimming it at first, and then read it fully three times.
1
2 HOGWARTS SCHOOL
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Armando Dippet
(Order of Merlin, Second Class, International
Confed. Of Wizards, Grand Sorc.)
Dear Mr. Riddle,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
2.1 Armando Dippet
2.1.1 Armando Dippet
(Headmaster)
A wizard? That was almost more than he could take in one day. He looked down at the letter again, making sure the name was right. T. Riddle, that was him, plain, orphan boy. But it couldn't be a mistake, the tree that fell, that had to be magic, and his mother's hinting. It was his tenth birthday, July 31, and it finally had happened. But, they expected his owl today, whatever that meant. All chance was gone that he would get to go to "Hogwarts," whatever that was.
Why did they send his letter so late, he thought miserably to himself. Michael still wanted to kill him; practically everybody hated him because he was a "genius." It wasn't his fault that he was so smart.
The one chance he had to get away was gone. Tom stared out the window. Normal children were probably playing outside, without fear that someone would kill them in the morning, without having people trip them in the hallways, through things at them in the classroom, without knowing that they would never get anywhere outside an orphanage for eight long years. And the one chance he had to get out was gone.
Maybe Ms. Prince could help him send an "owl" and get to "Hogwarts."
***
Tom knocked on her door during the lunch hour. She opened it, smiled down at him and then beckoned him inside. He sat down in the chair across from her desk.
"Mr. Riddle, what can I do for you?" she asked him kindly. Tom smiled up at her, she would help him, and he knew it.
"Er… I got this letter…it was tied onto a bird," Tom said, handing her the parchment. The smile suddenly vanished from her face.
"That's impossible," she said, shocked and annoyed, "How…I thought I destroyed these!"
Tom looked up at her, amazed at what he had just heard. "But, why?"
"Why? Tom, it is for your own good!" Ms. Prince snapped as she tossed the letter into the lit fireplace.
"My letter," Tom exclaimed, jumping from his seat, toward the fire. Ms. Prince grabbed him and half dropped, half threw him back into the chair where he sat. He looked sadly at the burning letter and the melting seal when Ms. Prince slapped him hard across the face.
"Mr. Riddle, this is MY orphanage, whatever I say goes, understand?" she shouted at him. Tom nodded his head a little, nearly in tears.
"That's what would happen to you, you know. That's what happens to freaks, witches and wizards! They BURN!" she exclaimed, pointing at the fire where the letter was quickly turning to ash. "DO YOU WANT THAT?"
"No, Ms. Prince," he said faintly, his voice shaking. How could she be so mean, he thought. That once nice, kind, caring lady was now an evil, cruel women.
"Who would adopt a freak, Tom? People like good little boys, not Satan worshiping wizards!" She said, a little calmer than she was a second ago, but still unhappy.
"May I go now?" Tom asked faintly.
"Get out of my sight," she said, turning away from him. Tom slowly got up and walked toward the door. He opened it and turned back to look at her. She still was facing the opposite wall. Tom didn't want to stay long, so, without another look back, he left her room.
He knew he had to get out of the orphanage. No one had ever managed to run away. It was like a black hole; sucking little children in, and never letting anything escape it's strong grasp. Well, Tom Riddle would get out, he had to.
"Hey, Tom!" someone yelled. Stacy came running up to him. "Happy Birthday! Where were you at lunch?" What should he say, that Ms. Prince was scolding him because he was a wizard? That would hurt her too much.
"Nothing," he said. That was the common lie, and he shouldn't have used it because Stacy would know that it wasn't "nothing."
"Tom, don't give me 'nothing!'" Stacy said as they walked down the hall.
"Hey, Tom! Heard you and Ms. Prince!" Michael's voice came from behind them. "What did she say again? Something about a freak? Clearly she was talkin' about you, Tom."
"A freak?" Stacy asked, looking down at Tom. "Why would she say that?"
"Er…" Tom began, but then Michael then cut in.
"Cause he's a wizard," Michael said casually. He smiled broadly. So he knew that little secret. At least Tom didn't really care that the public knew. Maybe they would leave him alone, thinking that he might turn them all into frogs or something.
Stacy looked down at Tom again. "So… that's what your mum…" she began, but then stopped quickly. Never say anything that you didn't want heard in front of Michael, or by the time the day was over, everyone would know. "Come on, Tom, let's go somewhere else." She grabbed his hand and quickly walked toward the door to the outside grounds. After lunch they were allowed to go there.
They went to Tom's "not-so-secret-anymore-place," otherwise known as the gully.
"So, you are a wizard?" Stacy asked him.
"I guess," he said, shrugging, "But, Ms. Prince, she burned my letter."
"Oh," she said, putting an arm around him. He looked around the area. No one was there. This was his chance to escape from the orphanage.
"Stacy, can I…er…be alone for awhile?" he asked he quietly.
"Sure. See you later," she said as she stood up. Stacy bent down and kissed him on the forehead.
"Bye," he whispered as she walked away. As soon as she was gone, Tom stood and walked in the other direction. He hadn't a clue where he was going or what he would do when he got there, but he knew that he had to take his chance.
***
The orphanage slowly shrank behind him until it was nothing but a forgotten place lost in the shadows of the night. Tom slowly ventured forward into the unknown city of London. Freedom felt good, but was horrifying. He saw people on the streets, living in boxes and barely surviving the cold of London. Tired, he sank down against the wall by one of the many homeless people. This was better than the orphanage, he thought.
Suddenly, someone tapped him roughly on the shoulder. He jumped in alarm at the man he saw sitting next to him.